Taliban condemns Istanbul explosion on Istiklal Avenue

KABUL (Khaama Press): The Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, condemned the explosion attack on Istiklal Avenue in Turkey’s Istanbul and extended condolences to the people of the “brotherly” country, Turkey.
In response to the blast in Istanbul, the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement that reads that the Taliban “condemns today’s explosion in Istiqlal Square of Istanbul, Türkiye, resulting in death and injury of a number of people, and extends condolences to the people and government of brotherly country Türkiye.”
Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the Head of the High Council for National Reconciliation of the ousted government also condemned the “heinous and barbaric terrorist attack” in Istanbul, expressing his condolences to the victims’ families and the government of Turkey.
Istanbul endured an explosion, in the touristic Istiklal Avenue, which resulted in 6 fatalities and 81 injuries.
In a press conference hours after the incident, Turkish President Erdogan stated that pertinent government agencies are working to identify the crime’s perpetrators.
Although it has not yet been determined whether the attack was a terrorist strike, according to early investigations, the Turkish president stated that it “smelled like terrorism.”
According to television news reports, a person who seemed to be a woman dropped an explosive package on the iconic Istiklal Avenue, a popular shopping and tourist area, according to Reuters.
The “vile attack” that claimed six lives on Istanbul’s main shopping street was attributed by the Turkish government to Kurdish insurgents. 22 individuals were reportedly taken into custody by the police, including the bomber, who appeared to be a woman.